Motor vehicle body



Dec. 15, 1936. w 2,954,380

MOTOR VEHICLE BODY Fil ed Oct. 14, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HANS. LEmwmKADec, 15, 1936. H, WKA 2,064,380

- MOTOR VEHICLE BODY Filed Oct. 1 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec,15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT oFr cE MOTOR VEHICLE Bony I Hans Ledwinka,Koprivnice, Czechoslovakia Application 6 Claims.

In stream-line vehicles having a rear engine which is more particularlyair-cooled, it is diflicult to construct and arrange the inlet aperturesfor the cooling air so that a sufficient quantity of cooling air can besupplied to the engine without increasing the air resistance anddetracting from the appearance of the vehicle. Thus for example, in aknown construction the main inlet apertures for the cooling air aredisposed directly in the upper wall of the vehicle body and are providedwith upwardly opening hinged flaps adjustable relatively to thedirection of the air-flow during traveling. An-intense cooling iscertainly secured by means of this arrangement but the flaps projectingfrom the upper wall of the body interfere with the stream-line form andproduce eddying of the air at the rear of the vehicle. In addition, theydetract from the good appearance of thevehicle.

The disadvantages of the known arrangements are eliminated according tothe invention by the fact that the inlet apertures for the cooling airare arranged within the general contour of the stream-line walls of thebody and substantially at right-angles thereto.

The part of the wall situated, in the direction of travel, in front ofan air inlet aperture ar-' ranged at right-angles to the wall of thevehicle body is oilset relatively to the adjacent streamlined wallsections and is itself stream-lined in such a manner that the said partleads to the inner edge of the air inlet aperture, and preferably anextension of the said wall part beyond the aperture may form a part ofthe inner wall of the air guiding passage.

A further feature of the invention is that the air inlet aperturesformed in the manner indicated are provided on the upper wall of thevehicle body or on the edges formed by the upper wall and the sidewalls. With this construction, a middle section of the vehicle bodyupper wall terminating at the partition separating the enginecompartment from the interior of .the vehicle is conveniently leftunaltered according to the general stream-line contour of the vehiclebody, the said middle part being preferably provided with the rearwindow, while the roof gradually falls inwardly from the front to therear on both sides of the middle section.

The part of the upper wall covering the engine compartment and adaptedto be raised is shaped in accordance with the general streamline contourand preferably extends to the front edge of the air inlet aperture, sothat when the cover is closed, forwardly open passages are October 14,1935, Serial No. 44.861 In France October 15, 1934 formed between thecover and the inwardly voffset surfaces of the wall of the vehicle body.During' travelling, the cooling air enters the engine compartmentthrough the said passages and escapes again in any desired manner,forexample through the louvers of the cover.,

The difliculties arising with regard to the rearward visibility areeliminated according to the invention by the fact that the air outletlouvers behind the window which is provided in the parx'titionseparating the engine compartment from the interior of the vehicle arearranged substantially on a level with the said window so that, theoccupants of the vehicle cansee through the suitably shaped slits of thelouvers.

, The invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the'rear portion of a vehicle bodyconstructed according to a form of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section on substantially the line 2-2 ofFigure 1 through the rear portion of the vehicle body shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows the rear portion of a vehicle body with a second form ofconstruction of the invention.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional perspective view on the line 4-4of'Figure 1.

In the form of construction according to Figures 1 and 2, the roof ofthe vehicle body is constructed only in its middle part 3 according tothe general stream-line contourflas far as the rear partition 2separating the interior'of the vehicle from the engine compartment.The-roof sections 3a and 3a situated on either side of this middle partare gradually. depressed rearwardly and towards the interior of thevehicle, so that the middle part 3 forms as it were a kind of dormer.The rear end of this 'elevated'part 3 is provided with one or morewindows 4. The cover 5, which is adapted to be raised is shaped inaccordance with the general stream-dine contour of the vehicle walls andis pivotallyconnected to the fixed vehicle body by means of hinges 6,preferably on the middle elevated part 3 The cover extends over the rearpart of the fixed vehicle body constructed in the manner indicated, andover the engine compartment.

-Due to the specified construction and arrangement, two air passageswith the apertures I and I at right-angles to the wall of the vehiclebody and facingthe direction of travel are formed between the frontlateral sections of the cover 5 u through the window 90 in partition andthrough the window 4 arranged in the rear wall 2 of the dormer I fromthe interior of the vehicle.

In the form of construction of the invention shown in Figure 3, thevehicle body comprises in known manner a lower part l0 shaped like aportion of an aircraft supporting wing, having a lower wall parallel tothe road surface, and an upper part II having a stream-line shape inplan. The .air inlet apertures l2, l2 arranged at right-angles to thedirection of travel are now formed in the lateral walls l3, ll of theupper part II. The wall sections ,14' situated in front of the aperturesI2, I2 are again inclined gradually to the rear and-to the interior ofthe vehicle.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the constructional examplesillustrated but numerous modifications are possible or may even benecessary in accordance with the particular configuration of the vehiclebody.

I claim:

1.- In a streamline motor vehicle having a rear engine, means to leadcooling air to and from the engine, such means comprising the provisionof air inlets arranged within the general contour of thestreamlined'walls, one at either side of 'a central dormer-like walldefining within' itself a passage communicating with the interior of.the vehicle body and having a rear window, a

streamline hood at the rear of the body into the front of which said airinlets deliver the cooling air, said hood having air outlet louversarranged to the rear of said window through which, and through saidwindow persons within the vehicle can see to the rear.

2. In a streamline motor vehicle having a rear engine, means to leadcooling air to and from the engine, such means comprising the provisionof air inlets arranged within the general contour of the streamlinedwalls, one at either side of a central dormer-like wall defining withinitself a passage communicating with the interior of the vehicle body.and having a rear window, a streamline hood at the rear of the body intothe front of which said air inlets deliver the cooling air, said hoodhaving air outlet louvers arranged to the rear of said window throughwhich and through said window persons within the vehicle can see to therear, and a baffle-partition between said air inlets and said louversand itself having a rear-view window.

3. In a streamline motor vehicle having a' compartment at the rear foran engine, a stream line hood over said compartment, the body of saidvehicle adjacent the front end of said hood being depressed at eitherside to provide a center dormer-like portion, andv two air inletsarranged within the general contour of the streamlined walls of thevehicle body and substantially at right-angles thereto, said hood havingair outlet louvers located to the rear of said air inlets and saiddormer-like portion, through which louvers and dormer-like portionpersons within the vehicle body may have rear vision.

4. In a streamline motor vehicle having a compartment at the rear for anengine, a streamline hood over said compartment, the body of saidvehicle adjacent the front end of said hood being depressed at eitherside to provide a center dormer-like portion, two air inlets arrangedwithin the general contour of the streamlined walls of the vehicle bodyand substantially at right-angles thereto, said hood having air outletlouvers located to the rear of said air inlets and said dormer-likeportion, through which louvers and dormer-like portion persons withinthe vehicle body may have rear vision, and a transverse partitionbeneath the hood between the louvers and said air inlets and saiddormer-like portion of the body, said partition having a window liningup with said dormer-like portion for rear vision purposes, saidpartition serving to deflect incoming air downwardly in the enginecompartment of the vehicle.

5. In a streamline motor vehicle having a compartment at the rear for anengine, a streamline hood over said compartment, the body of saidvehicle adjacent the front end of said hood being depressed at eitherside to provide a center dormer-like portion, and two air inletsarranged within the general contour of the streamlined walls of thevehicle body and substantially at right-angles thereto, said hood havingair outlet louvers located to the rear of said air inlets and saiddormer-like portion, through which louvers and dormer-like portionpersons within the vehicle body may have rear vision, said hood beingshaped in accordance with the general streamline contour and extendingforwardly over the rear end of said dormer-like portion, so that whenthe hood is closed down as a cover forwardly opening passages are formedbetween said hood and the depressed portions of the body adjacentthereto, the cooling air flowing into the engine compartment throughsaid passages.

6. In a streamline motor vehicle having a compartment at the rear for anengine, ,a streamline hood over said compartment, the body of saidvehicle adjacent the front end of said hood being depressed at eitherside to provide a center dormer-like portion, two air inlets arrangedwithin the general contour of the streamlined walls of the vehicle bodyand substantially at right-angles thereto, said hood having air outletlouvers located to the rear of said air inlets and said dormer-likeportion, through which louvers and dormer-like portion persons withinthe vehicle body may have rear vision, said hood being shaped inaccordance with the general streamline contour and extending forwardlyover the rear end of said partition beneath the hood between the louversand said air inlets and said dormer-like portion of the body, saidpartition having a windowlining up withssaid -dormer-like portion forrear vision purposes, said partition serving to deflect incoming airdownwardly in the engine compartment of the vehicle.

- HANS LEDWINKA.

